Thursday, September 30, 2010

The inside with its printed "Plimsoll lines" reminiscent of the lines on a ship's hull...

Some more "Plimsoll lines"where the nickname is coming from...

Detail of the pebble like molded under sole .....

We finally have an Indian summer here in San Francisco so yesterday ,while looking for the perfect shoe to wear ,i came upon a long forgotten "friend " at the bottom of the closet's floor,my good ol' Plimsolls.So today's post,will tell you the story of this not so ordinary shoe :the great Plimsoll....

It's said that the canvas and rubber sole shoe,was first developed in the 1830's in England,by the Liverpool Rubber Company ,who later became Dunlop[in1925].By the 1870's the shoe was nicknamed 'Plimsoll'.......

This name derives from the "Plimsoll lines",a system invented in the 1870's, by the victorian engineer Samuel Plimsoll. Back then,unscrupulous ship owners for maximum profit,had the tendency of overloading their ship,resulting,most of the time ,in loss of goods but mostly loss of crew at sea.

The "Plimsoll lines" are the system of lines seen on ship's hull ,designed to control and limit the volume of goods loaded onto ship.It was said that,on the shoes ,the rubber part attached to the upper canvas part resembled the Plimsoll lines ,hence the name.

The shoe, generally black or white with a few in brown,was commonly used as a typical gym shoe and part of the school uniform in the British Commonwealth,where it was also often used for corporal punishment.

In India, where the shoe is still produced,white plimsolls are often worn by school children.A brown version is used by most police and military units as a gym training shoe; they are also part of the uniform.....

Monday, September 27, 2010

Frankly ,for once,not much to be said about today's beauty.Beside the fact that it doesn't bare any brand,it as the most coveted zipper :the infamous deco style TALON grommet zipper.The simplicity of its design and the addition of adjustable side buckles ,make this suede veste very versatile and desirable.I guess that makes it a keeper right !??

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Early to mid 1900's A shaped cut ,with an expected positioning of the brand's tag and this up to the 30's.....All silk thread .......

Celluloid buttons .....

The famous "Malone plaid" as produced nowadays by Johnson woolen mills.....

Fall is here ,so it's time to switch wardrobes and pull out some of the good old "Autumn's classics" .So,today's post will be about an early 1900's lumberjack coat from the elusive J.O. Ballard company.needless to say,that finding infos about the brand,was quite a challenge .So,fyi here's what i was able to gather ,about Ballard,during the course of the last 2 years .....

The J.O Ballard Mill was built in 1901 in Malone NY along side the Salmon River. For many years ,the woolen mills gave employment to area residents.Those loyal employees, were proud of their superior product, as was Capt. J O Ballard . Its motto: “all wool and a yard wide”, exemplified quality and became a mainstay with distribution nationwide for sports and utility outdoor clothing, and was a major industry in town. Civic minded and philanthropic, Captain Ballard was an “institution” in Malone, part of its forward-thinking attitude that created the prosperity prevailing at the time.

The Ballard Woolen Mill was famous for its heavyweight wool garments designed to endure the rigors of Adirondack Winters, constructed most of the clothing used by Adirondack guides and their wealthy patrons such as the Roosevelts, Carnegies, Vanderbilts and Whitneys in the first half of the 20th century.

Ballard's plaids were all copyrighted pretty smart at the time ,as the brand designed then,what became some of the most iconic and classical patterns.when Ballard went out of business in the 70's,their entire collection was bought by Johnson Woolen Mills.Among favorite textile patterns bought from J. O. Ballard Co.,was the way famous old favorite “Malone plaid” .Thanks to Johnson it's still in production today. this plaid was used by " engineered garments " for one of their winter collections.

even if Ballard's garments were widely popular,mostly on the est coast and Canada,they remain quite rare and finding one in good condition from the 1900's is always a treat........

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

It'll be almost impossible to upgrade this one, as i've got it in "dead stock" condition.found it sunday for a ridiculous price [yes it's still possible no kidding] but won't keep it ,as i'm not into that stuff anymore .......

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Monday, September 13, 2010

Ever since Ford first rolled out it's first Model T , Americans have had a love affair with the automobile and with it,the great American adventure was born- The Road Trip .The automobile allowed everyone to travel America's vast distances, move quicker, and further and in the mean time ,create a sense of freedom and adventure. Be it two days, two months, or two years, all Americans have done at least one.

for those of you who follow RIVETED ,you know by now,my obsession with flea market and most of all ,my quest for unsorted vintage photo albums. here's one i've saved lately,from the hands of unscrupulous pickers who's only concern is a quick flip on ebay.

The album dates from 1929 to 1931 and is about friendship ,as it follows these guys from high school to their arrival to west point .Enjoy the ride...

Thursday, September 2, 2010

American late 1800's aka "Turkey red" no branding on this one not "color fast" .of course dry clean mandatory....

Marseille connection early 20th century on thin cotton...

Spanish probably of same origin....

American 1920's large size ....

Mexican 40's thicker than a American ....American deco style....Same period .....Mid 30's deco styled of American origin..

FOUND in New Mexico 20 years ago...

50'S advertising example....

40'S work.....

Part of the ever growing collection...

As a follow up to my last post ,i've decided to talk a little bit , if i may,of what's the most recognised and widely used accessory in the world :the iconic BANDANA and it's Paisley based motif...

The name bandana comes from the Hindi"bandhana" wich means "to tie" .The name paisley, derives from the town of Paisley, in central Scotland where the motif was widely produce in the late 1800's.

The paisley pattern, is a motif resembling a twisted teardrop. The kidney-shaped paisley is of Persian and Indian origins.In the beginning the motif was weaved uniquely ,but due to its popularity the use of hand stamp for printing traditional "paisley" designs became common practice...

Paisley was first popular in the European Baltic states between 1700 and 1800 and was thought to be used as a protective charm against evil demons by the gypsies of northern Indian origins. However, in modern culture, the youth of these countries have used it as a symbol of rebellion.

the British conspiracy....

In the 19th Century European production of paisley started, particularly in the Scottish town from which the pattern takes its modern name[as mentioned above]. Soldiers returning from the colonies brought home cashmere wool shawls from India, and the" East India Company " later imported more. The design was copied from the costly silk and wool Kashmir shawls and adapted first for use on handlooms, and, after 1820 on Jacquard looms.

The "East India Company" at some point could not satisfy the increasing demand for the popular motif so,from roughly 1800 to 1850, the weavers of the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland, became the foremost producers of the motif. The key places of manufacture for weaved or printed paisley were Britain but also the Marseille and Alsace regions of France.......

the French connection:

Local manufacturers in Marseilles began to mass-produce the patterns via early textile printing processes around 1640. England, circa 1670, and Holland, in 1678, soon followed.As a result Europe's weavers found themselves with more competition than they could bear, and the production and import of printed paisley was forbidden in France by royal decree from 1686 to 1759. However, enforcement near the end of that period was lax, and France had its own printed textile manufacturing industry in place as early at 1746.

Paisley on cotton and wool in the 19th Century was major.and by the beginning of the 20th century the paisley pattern was being printed, rather than woven, onto other textiles, including cotton squares which were the precursors of the modern bandanna. Being able to purchase printed paisley rather than woven paisley brought the price of the costly pattern down and added to its popularity.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

My good friend Rochelle Baker of "mystery mister " fame here in SF ,gave me this great picture the other day .It's not so much the clothes that caught my attention ,but the little girl in the background wearing a cloche hat instead ......